The Faith of The Philosophers

Do, Then Understand

If you’re a seeker, you presumably think you’ll find something on the other side of your search.

On the other hand, if you’re a seeker you might think that the point is not to find something, but just to be open.

As Leo Strauss says, the moment the philosopher claims to have knowledge he stops being a philosopher and becomes a sectarian. And yet, could there be philosophy if there were not a presumption that one might discover something.

I continuously find this tension between philosophy as zetesis (search) and philosophy as science (arrival) puzzling.

If you think the point of philosophy is to find wisdom or knowledge, you must posit or assume their existence on faith. This, too, is quite profound, as it means that even the philosopher stands in a position relative to her task akin to that of the religious believer who says “naaseh v’nishma”: “we will do and then we will understand.”

Speaking of naaseh v'nishma, this Saturday night begins to Shavuot. Two recent podcast conversations are on theme. Here I talk to Yehuda Kurtzer about Revelation and here I talk to poet Rae Armantrout about poetry, prophecy, and the poetry community (there are some neat parallels and contrasts between the world of art making and the world of religion).

Have faith! For how can you not?